Israeli army orders new evacuations in Gaza as fighting continues

After designating some regions of southern and central Gaza as humanitarian safe zones, the Israeli army has issued an order on to begin the process of evacuating those areas again.

The order stated that Hamas had been using the areas as a base from which to launch rockets and mortars into Israel.

The eastern section of Deir Al-Balah, where tens of thousands of civilians have sought refuge from violence in other sections of Gaza, and the area north of the southern city of Khan Younis, were indicated to have received warning flyers and text messages.

The grim milestone comes as a new round of ceasefire talks was underway in Qatar’s capital Doha, aimed at ending the bloody conflict and securing the release of more than 100 Israeli hostages held captive by Hamas militants in Gaza.

The advance warning to civilians is being issued in order to mitigate harm to the civilian population and to enable civilians to move away from the combat zone,” the military said in a statement.

The latest evacuation warnings came as negotiators in Doha were due to meet for a second day of talks aimed at reaching a deal to halt the fighting in Gaza and bring Israeli and foreign hostages home.

Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population has been displaced multiple times since the start of the Israeli campaign in Gaza, launched following the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

Even in the areas designated as humanitarian safe zones there have been regular reports of casualties from Israeli strikes.

Israel accused Hamas and other militant groups of deliberately basing fighters in civilian areas,’ a charge Hamas denies.

The fighting has become more scattered and less organised as Hamas has shifted towards “guerrilla warfare” style tactics by small groups of fighters.